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The ruling All progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), are at each other’s throat following the public apology rendered on Monday by the PDP for its mistakes during the 16 years of its leadership and asking Nigerians to forgive their misdeeds and reconsider them for 2019 elections.
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) had said in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary Kola Ologbondiyan on Tuesday that its apology to Nigerians is the pathway to national healing, renewal of hope and remobilization of the citizenry for the task of rescuing the nation from “our current pathetic situation occasioned by the painful misrule of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”
The PDP said that as a responsible party, committed to the good of Nigerians, it is deeply saddened that Nigerians are suffering because the nation allowed the APC, a movement that has neither structure nor plan, to scheme itself into governance, devastate the country, wreck a once robust economy and plunge the citizens into a situation of hunger, starvation and daily bloodletting.
The party said it is not unmindful of the fact that lessons have been learnt and that Nigerians across board are now looking up to its repositioned and rebranded platform to pull the country from the brinks and return her to the path of true democracy, national cohesion and economic prosperity, which were the hallmarks of PDP’s 16 years.
But reacting to the PDP apology, the APC in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi made available to BusinessDay on Tuesday noted that the PDP must come clean, confess their sins and atone for the damage allegedly inflicted on the country.
“The All Progressives Congress (APC) acknowledges the apologies by the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) for the damage the party has wrought on the country’s democratic fabric during its sixteen year rule.
“However, despite this belated grovelling apology, PDP will need to come clean, confess to their sins and fully atone for it, before restitution is considered.
“As they say, to err is human but forgiveness is divine. We join PDP in praying to God to forgive them, but Nigerians are human who are still suffering from the years of PDP’s misrule.
“Therefore, even if Nigerians are gracious enough to forgive, they will not forget in a hurry,” the APC said.
The PDP also continued it criticisms against the Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed for saying that as part of its atonement to Nigerians the PDP should return the funds they allegedly looted from the Nigerian treasury in the last 16 years of its rule.
Kola Ologbondiyan, dismissed Mohammed’s allegation and charged APC and the Federal Government to end their false sanctimony and immediately return all alleged stolen funds used to finance President Muhammadu Buhari’s election in 2015 to the Federation Account.
The PDP said the APC and its Federal Government cannot continue to play the saints when state governors, who allegedly stole hundreds of billions of naira meant for the development of their states to fund President Buhari in 2015, are still enjoying cover as members of the Buhari kitchen cabinet, despite outrage from Nigerians.
“It is, to say the least, despicable that the APC and its Federal Government, in their arrogance, would always try to play the saint when they were elected with stolen fund and have continued to reek with filth and sleaze.
“Nigerians are aware that prior to the 2015 election, President Buhari had informed that he was insolvent. He however took Nigerians by surprise as he enjoyed one of the most expensive presidential campaigns in the history of our nation, while turning a blind eye to reports of massive looting of funds from APC controlled states,” the PDP said in the statement.
Innocent Odoh, Abuja
